1. Ben Affleck's buddy Matt Damon: "I think
it will be great. It will be terrific. I know there are a lot of
people grousing on the internet. I just think it's kind of funny.
You know, he's not playing King Lear. It's Batman! Certainly
within his skill set. If anybody saw 'Argo' or 'The Town,' and
all the work he's been doing lately, it's way more nuanced and
interesting and way more difficult than Batman. Batman just sits
there with his cowl over his head and whispers in a kinda gruff
voice at people. Bruce Wayne is the more challenging
part of the role, and Ben will be great at that." (via The Times of India)

2. Josh Brolin, the "almost Batman": "I'm
happy for Ben. ... I just feel for anybody who gets
lambasted at that level. I want him to kick ass and I want
everyone to love it and kind of eat their words." (via Huffington Post)

3. Affleck's wife, Jennifer Garner: “I’m excited about Batman, of
course. Everything we do, we look at it together, and we say,
'Can we handle this? Can we take this?' And this was one where we
were like, 'Let’s go to Michigan!'” (via ET Canada)

4. Hugh Jackman: "Ben is poised to crush
it. I’m really happy for him. I’m so happy he got the part. The
difficult part of the role is the Bruce Wayne part. I think he
will crush it, and I’m really excited to see what he does. He’s
ready for it. I love Ben — he’s super smart, very talented, and
he will be around for a long time. I think people are gonna to
love it." (via ET Canada)

6. Justin Timberlake: "Ben Affleck as
Batman — I like it. I worked with Ben last summer, and I've seen
his process. I think he's a brilliant filmmaker. I think he's an
extreme talent, so he could surprise a lot of people." (via US Magazine)

7. Scott Snyder, DC Comics writer of "Batman," "Superman
Unchained":

@iMackyy ...I'm up
for anyone I didn't see coming. And Affleck is a very smart,
talented guy with good intentions - so I'm honestly game.

8. Adam West, the original Batman actor: "I like Ben. I
think he's really a splendid actor, and now he's proved his chops
as a director. For Batman, I have no idea, because I'm not a
Batman critic. He might have to shave his beard. Maybe he'll be
paid 20 mil to shave the beard." (via Yahoo! Movies)

9. Patton Oswalt: "A Batman portrayed by
someone who's tasted humiliation and a reversal of all personal
valences — kind of like Grant Morrison's 'Zen warrior' version of
Batman, post-ARKHAM ASYLUM, who was, in the words of Superman,
'...the most dangerous man on the planet'? Think for a second and
admit that Ben Affleck is closer to THAT top-shelf iteration of
The Dark Knight than pretty much anyone in Hollywood right
now." (Read his lengthy defense on Facebook)